Shoe-clasp



(No Model.)

M, N. BRAY.

SHOE CLASP.

I No. 399,237. Patented Mar. 12, 1889.

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)IELLIIN N. ,llRdY, OF BOSTON, MASSiKIIUSETTS.

SHOE-CLASP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 399,237, dated March12, 1889.

Application filed November 23, 1888. $Yltl No. 291,628. No model.)

To all whom may concern..-

Be it known that I, MELLEE N. BRAY, of Boston, in the county of Suffolkand State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvementin Shoe-Buckles, of which the following, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification.

My invention relates to buckles for shoes and other purposes, and is animprovement upon the invention described in another applicaiion of minefiled November 8,1888, and serially numbered 290,307; and it consists incertain novel features of construction, arrangement, and combination ofparts, which will be readily understood by reference to the descriptionof the drawings, and to the claim, to be hereinafter given, and in whichmy invention is clearly pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a plan of my improved buckle, the same beingapplied to the securing together of the two ends of a strap. Fig. 2 isan elevation of the same. Fig. 8 is a longitudinal section on line 1 1,Fig. 1. Fig. is a plan of the main body or female portion of the buckle.Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section on line 2 2, Fig. i. Fig. 6 is aninverted plan of same. Fig. 7 is a transverse section on line 3 3, Figs.5 and 6. Figs. 8, 9, and 1d are respectively a plan, a longitudinalsection, and an inverted plan of the tongue or male portion of thebuckle. Figs. ll, 12, and 18 are respectively a plan, an elevation, andan inverted plan of the hinge-plate by which the tongue or male portionis secured to the strap, shoe, or other article.

In the drawings, A is the main body or female portion of the buckle,consisting of a plate of sheet metal having transverse slots a a cutthrough it and provided with the ribs 3) 1), formed by bending itsopposite edges upward, as shown in Figs. 5 and 7. The bars 0 0 betweenthe slots 0. o. are forced upward above the main body of said plate adistance about equal to the thickness of said plate, as shown in Figs. 5and 7.

To the under side of the plate A is secured a spring-plate, B, having alongitudinal curve corresponding substantially to the curve of the plateA, and provided in its upper side with recesses or indentations cl (1,

one beneath each of the bars 0 c 01. the plate A, as shown in Fig. 5,the object of which will presently appear.

Both the plates A and B have formed in one end thereof a hole, 6, toreceive arivet,f, by which they are secured to the strap C or to oneside or portion of a shoe or other article. To the other end of ihestrap C, or the opposite side of the shoe or other article, is securedby the rivetg one end of the plate D, to the opposite end of whichispivoted the tongue or male portion E of the buckle, which consists of aplate of sheet metal curved transversely, as indicated by the shading inFigs. 8 and 10, to stiffen it, and longitudinally, as shown in 9, andhaving two slots, h h, cut through it to form a bar, i, around which theend of the plate D is bent-to form ahingeconnection therewith, as shownin Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

The toe of the tongue E is made narrower than the middle portioncontaining the bar i, so that it can pass through a slot, (1, and isbent upward, so that it can be readily passed under the bar 0 andbetween it and the spring plate B when the tongue or lever E is in theposition indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 3.

The toej has formed upon its under side a projection, is, which, whenthe tongue-lever E is moved from the position indicated by dotted linesto the position indicated by full lines in Figs. 2 and. 3, will snapinto the indentation 11 in the plate 13, and thus lock said tongueagainst accidental displacement.

The spring-plate B is rigidly secured to the plate A at one end, and atits opposite end the hole through which the rivet which secures it toplate B is preferably slotted, so to permita slight movement oi. saidplate in the direction of its length when said plate is depressed by theprojection 71: pressing thereon before passing into the recess orindentation d.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is-- In a buckle for securin g together two sides orportionsof a shoe or other article, the combination of a tongue-engagingplate having a plurality of transverse bars separating rectangular slotsformed in said plate, said plate being constructed and adapted to besecured to one side or portion of the shoe or other article, aspring-plate secured by each end to the inner side of said tongue-plateand extending across the slots in said tongue-plate, and having formedin. its surface next the tongue-plate a plurality of depressions orindentations corresponding in number and position to the bars in thetongue-plate, ahingeplate constructed and adapted to be secured to theother side or port-ion of the shoe or other article, and a tongue in theform of a lever of the first order pivoted to said hingeplate, the shortarm of which lever is com structed to enter a slot in and engage with abar of said tongue-plate, and provided upon its under side between itsend and fulcrum with a projecting lug or dete'nt constructed andarranged to snap into an indentation in said spring-plate when the longarm of the tongue is pressed down uponthe slotted plate, .and thus locksaid tongue in closed position.

ISA

